Tiger Woods ‘still talking’ with PGA about 2025 Ryder Cup captaincy

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The crowds at the next Ryder Cup promise to be partisan, and no American captain could draw more passion out of those New York fans than Tiger Woods.

There is speculation that Woods will lead the U.S. Team that will try to retake the Ryder Cup next year at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Long Island, New York. Woods did not quash a query about the captaincy when asked about it Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference at the Masters.

“We’re still talking about it,” he said with a smile.

Woods was a victorious player-captain in the Presidents Cup five years ago and has served as a captain’s assistant in both that event and the Ryder Cup. Woods is always among the names discussed for potential captaincies, because of his legendary playing resume and his passion for the role. He brings the same tactician mindset that he displayed as a player to his leadership roles in team events.

“He remembers everything that ever happened in the game, he thinks about everything that could happen in the game. … He thinks about the small little details,” said Davis Love III, for whom Woods served as a vice captain in the 2016 Ryder Cup. Love said Woods would text him at all hours about potential pairings before the team roster was even finalized.

Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, as well. Though it doesn’t take much to excite New York sports fans, his presence at the event would surely inspire extra emotion. Woods remains open to the possibility of leading a U.S. team that is trying to recover from last year’s loss in Italy.

At the Hero World Challenge late last year, Woods brushed off any talk of the Ryder Cup, saying ”There’s too much at stake with our TOUR to think about a Ryder Cup.” In addition to a hoped-for handful of competitive appearances per year, Woods also serves on the Board of Directors for both the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Enterprises.

Woods added Tuesday that he has discussed the role with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, with whom he partnered in the Seminole Pro-Member earlier this year. That one-day event was Woods’ only competitive round between The Genesis Invitational in February and this week’s Masters. The role may have been a topic of discussion during their round together at the historic course, as Woods hinted Tuesday at a recent conversation about the captaincy and said conversations on the topic would continue after the Masters.

“It's something that Seth and I are going to sit back and talk about it after this event,” Woods said Tuesday. “I said I'm going to be busy for a couple weeks, so let me focus on getting through this week and hopefully getting another jacket, and then we can sit back and talk about it next week.”